Anyone got any advice with this please?  My 2 yr & 4 month old Ital Spinone boy (still an Italian stallion!) is still an occasional chewer of his basket under-rug (the thin fleecy ones) to destruction.  Stopped chewing everything else but these occasionally.  Am fed up with ten quid rugs ending up looking like fishing nets!  He has plenty of legit chews - nylabones, kongs, filled bones etc etc - but still goes for these.  It's always at night and seems always related to trying to 'bury' the nightime nylabone and his cuddly toy within this under-rug and the top rug (which is vetbed and harder work, therefore he goes for the 'soft' option of the under-rug).  Everything ends up in a heap, with the bone & toy in the middle.  Is it true chewing behaviour or more a 'hoarding' thing? and is there some way of training him out of it?  Hard to catch him in the act when I've gone to bed...

Cheers if anyone can help.

Does he need the under rug? Vet bed is thick and I only use that in my beds. I don't find the need for anything else.

Hi Rafferty I used to use relatively cheap Ikea rugs which my 'adult' bitch loved to feast on.Replaced them with vetbed and I've had no problems since.As lilyowen suggested could you not do without the under rug ?.

I had a cover chewer years ago and had to make the decision to not give him any covers as the risk of him getting a blockage was too great. to do this he slept in a crate as he would pinch the other dogs covers. thankfully this worked well. he had a thick coat so was comfortable enough.

I would take out the other rug and meave the vet bed. My other flatti took to eating vet bed so I had get rid before she got an obstruction . Would be worried about similar with your boy def remove

I'm really struggling with my lad.
Padded beds are shredded and emptied overnight. Thin foam filled beds likewise. Blankets are destroyed. So are rugs.
At the moment he sleeps on a couple of carpet tiles. He sleeps in a cage (His choice the door is open) I'm hoping that a few months of just sleeping at night might break the habit and I can give him something softer to sleep on.
They aren't alone for long because I rarely go to bed before about 1am and my husband is up at 5.30, so it isn't boredom.

Hi guys, thanks for replies.

The under rugs cover the sides + ends of the plastic-type basket (conventional oval), we live 1,000' up in the Pennines and the heating goes off at night, altho he has an infra-red heat lamp then, so the under-blanket's to keep him warm, esp as he likes to use the basket ends as 'pillows'.  I tried an extra-large vetbed piece but then discovered it wouldn't go in the washer, so had to cut it in half!

He was fine last night.  I stayed up till he'd gone to sleep (30 mins after last pee) prepared to play sergeant major if he started, but just gave him lots of praise when he didn't chew.  I think this, which means me going short of my beauty sleep for however long it takes, might have to be the answer.  Zzzzzz, I'm tired!

Have you tried removing his nylabone & toys before bedtime? 
This is what i would try along with giving him a nightime biscuit instead.

yeah Wendy, that'll have to be last resort if it comes to it - was reluctant to do as removing the nylabone meant that he'd having nothing legit left to chew! ...the good thing is that he only engages in the behaviour just prior to going to sleep & just after the light goes off - once he's off that's it - doesn't start up in the middle of the night or anything.  Does already get a bonio every night.  Watch this space ...(hopefully it won't be surrounded by shredded blanket!).

He's a dog with a good coat as logn as his sleepign place is draught free he cna take a bit of cold, I'd take the blankets away says she who has several bitc of vet bed with holes in. :)

Never had a vet bed chewer until Lexi, Inka her daughter has also chewed some, and Safi just goes for chewing the wood work!!!

lol Brainless, yeah it's probably me that's too soft, not him!  Having said that, they don't have undercoats of course and he often seems cold judging by his sleep pozzy (curled tight up) - I think he'd pack his bags and leave if his basket wasn't rugged.  The front door is N. facing and if the wind's from that direction there can be a draught, as guess who chewed away not only the draught excluder strip but a centimere of the £500 solid oak door up to door handle level!! (as a 4-12 month old puppy however, so can't complain too much there).  (Speaking of which, I'm thinking of swapping the handle to knob variety, as he very early on learned to open the door with the current lever handle, so I actually have to lock it if I really want to keep him in).  Luckily the wind's not often from that direction, because any amount of new draught excluder doesn't cover the gap where he chewed the oak ... so I prop his waterproof garden mat behind the door as a baffle and drape a towel over the handle to cover the higher bit ....

Like you, other bits of woodwork missing too - had to replace some rails of the wooden post & rails fencing garden fencing - luckily he hasn't tried to chew the stock fencing (thick wire) behind, although his breeders told me a couple of their Spins effortlessly chewed through theirs to create a nice escape hole. Honestly, where would we be without 'em eh?  Richer in wallet and time, yet much, much poorer!

> had to replace some rails of the wooden post & rails fencing garden fencing

Two Jack Russells next door and their fence is rotting from the bottom up, result puppy and Mum taking fence apart, had to replace one panel, mend another, now have some electric wire crisscrossed along that section.

Mum when zapped wouldn't go out there for a week.

I put carpet cut off's to line cages and beds, dogs don't chew it at all and it gives warmth, vet bed goes on top.

My pup still has the odd chew he likes to run around with my lovely cushions nearly tripping himself up in the rush to take it
somewhere he can have a good chew. I just take it off him with no reaction this way he leaves it alone..for a while.. :)

In his crate he only has vetbed as others have said ..he doesnt chew that...in fact shoves it in the corner and lies on the cold plastic bottom so I wouldnt put the blanket in myself and see how that goes.
(my dogs have thick coats might be a little different with a short breed)

We have gone from the oval plastic beds to the Tuffies mattresses. The dogs love them, and with vet bed on top, they're really cosy too. Our 14 month old pup has chewed on a few things but the Tuffies are untouched!

I believe Tuffies do a chew proof bed, fairly expensive, but well worth the money if you're spending lots replacing chewed beds. Might be worth a look?

Well, time for an update, thanks in particular to Lorripop (carpet offcuts) and itsadogslife (Tuffies) - I'll try both those, cheapest first ;-) as the problem has continued.  I did try removing the thin under-rug, he then started on the vetbeds which now have 2-3 three inch holes in each of them also!!  Same when I removed his nylabone, started on the vetbed...

Will keep you posted ...thanks again

Can't you leave a kong with some treats in so that satisfies the need to chew?  My dog is 6 but I still have to take her blanket away every morning because she will rip it to bits given half a chance.  It has become a game now - if she gets there first then she has to bring the rug to me for a biscuit.  Half the time she sleeps on the hard floor anyway. 

iv not read everyones posts above but ive got a chewer.she will destroy absolutely any bed given to her and i mean any bed...some just do! and shes coming up for 5!

Just a thought, and a bit messy but what about shredded paper bedding teh kind made of clean paper/card with dust extract4d.  It would certainly keep him warm.

oooh good idea Brainless, if I just put old newspaper in he could save me some work and shred it ready for use as firelighter in the woodburning stove! :-)  or - second thought - would it just take him back to puppy housetraining days - eeek!!

ps - a bit off topic, but if anyone here uses Twitter, they can see pic of him as a 4-month old pup, as he and my old boy Willoughby, who sadly died in January, are in the photo which is my avatar.  @Ryorry

Very handsome dogs - see you are an Ipswich supporter - never mind! :-)

hah, don't tell me Ceejay, your house has green and yellow scarves hanging up everywhere?! ;-(

Oh no!  (shocked face however you do that emoticon) all Bluebirds here - hovering around the top of the table.

Ah, no prob Ceejay, don't mind Bluebirds, it's just Delia's Dogs I'm allergic to! ;-)
So sorry re Gary Speed, absolute tragedy, thoughts with his family and friends :-(